1 . While most lifestyle and fashion magazines are full of photos of slim male and female models that create an unrealistic image of the human body, a fresh Japanese men’s magazine called Mr. Babe is taking an unusual approach. It is targeted at chubby men, a body type that is rarely represented in the mainstream fashion industry.
Mr. Babe describes itself as Japan’s first fashion and lifestyle magazine of chubby men, by chubby men and for chubby men. Its major goal is to increase the confidence of its readers and convince them that they can lead a happy and successful life regardless of the few extra pounds. It offers fashion tips, health advice and articles on marriage. The chief editor said, “Mr. Babe is in no way persuading men to become fat. Our message is that chubby men can be attractive by making use of what they have now. ”
Norihito Kurashina was in charge of Men’s Knuckle for over 10 years before shifting completely and launching Mr. Babe. Up to now, Men’s Knuckle is still a famous magazine for young Japanese. 52-year-old Kurashina describes himself as a chubby man for 25 years.
According to the National Health and Nutrition Survey, the percentage of overweight men in Japan has been increasing gradually over the last decade, while the number of overweight women has decreased. Kurashina says the growing number of chubby men is largely due to the long working hours. In addition, they go drinking after work to relax. Naturally, they have no time, energy or money to go to the gym and keep in shape.
The chubby men in Mr. Babe magazine are not much more different than the handsome and sexy men that show up in most mainstream magazines. They are charming and well-dressed. 50, 000 copies have been printed of the first issue, which has film star Jack Black on the cover. Norihito Kurashina says he is already feeling a good response from the audience.
1. What does the underlined word “chubby” in Para. 1 mean?| A．Fat. | B．Thin. | C．Ugly. | D．Modern. |
| A．Encourage more men to put on weight. |
| B．Make its readers confident in themselves. |
| C．Offer suggestions about how to lose weight. |
| D．Become the most popular magazine in Japan. |
| A．Mr.Babe has several film stars on its cover. |
| B．Mr.Babe is designed for all Japanese people. |
| C．Norihito Kurashina is sure about Mr. Babe’s success. |
| D．The men in Mr.Babe are charming though dressed casually. |
2 . Are you looking for some informative magazines? The following ones can surely meet your needs.
Mental Foss is a magazine full of bite-sized（small bits） trivia（琐事）and mostly short articles with really interesting facts that you'll want to share with others. The writing is fun and friendly, so it’s easy to understand the answers to the more difficult questions, like: What does outer space smell like? Why isn't cat food mouse-flavored? While the print edition of the magazine stopped publishing in 2016, you can still read Mental Floss online.
Reader's Digest is not actually about books reading. Instead, it is about people. Inside you'll find anecdotes—short, personal articles about things that have happened to people. There are stories in simple writing about everything from funny celebrity moments and inspiring personal store to funny jokes and articles.
Cricket and Cicada are easy-to-read literary magazines aimed at teenagers. Each issue is full of wonderful short stories and poems, and beautiful illustrations. Even though these are technically children's magazines, they are perfect for learning English because they have high quality writing.
Time is one of the most well-known magazines in the world. Inside you'll find news, beautiful photographs and everything you need to get a" deeper understanding of the world in which we live. "Since Time is very high quality and provides deep insight on many serious topics, it can also be difficult for English learners to read. If you have trouble understanding Time, try Time For Kids, which has similarly great content but is written in a simpler way.
1. What can readers obtain from Mental Floss?| A．They can be inspired by the comments on the magazine. |
| B．They can understand some tough facts in a funny way. |
| C．They can enjoy a variety of eye-catching pictures. |
| D．They can have a deep understanding about the current events. |
| A．The language is easy and friendly to readers. |
| B．The articles are mostly adapted from books. |
| C．The stories are all based on private experiences. |
| D．The topics are serious and difficult to comprehend. |
| A．It's of great help for English beginners. |
| B．It has two editions for readers to choose from. |
| C．People can have an access to it online. |
| D．It is perfect for teenagers who love anecdotes. |
3 . If you are currently learning English, 1 highly recommend you check out the apps below.
Quizlet
When learning English, you probably have to memorize a lot of words. If you want to grow your vocabulary as fast as possible, a flashcard app like Quizlet is a great shortcut. With Quizlet, you can create a set of flashcards with new English words you are trying to learn, and practice typing them out until you know them by heart. It's a simple concept, but it's highly effective.
Spotify
Spotify is not a language learning app. But chances are that you already use it or a similar app for listening to music or podcasts（播客）, and one of the effective ways to study is combining something you already use into your existing habits. If Spotify is already on your phone, you can subscribe to some podcasts for English learners or download playlists of songs for learning English, or make your own.
Beelinguapp
Beelinguapp makes reading in English as convenient as possible. It shows you a text in your own language with the English translation side-by-side. Texts are short enough so that you can really dig into every word. They cover topics from fairytales, to science, to current news articles. There's even a "karaoke" feature where you can read along to audio, which helps you match up the English pronunciation with the English spellings.
Tandem
Tandem is a language exchange app which connects learners from all over the world. It can help you find a native English speaker who is trying to learn your native language, so you can swap language skills. If you only have five minutes to spare, you can simply exchange messages with a native English speaker. If you have more time, you can have a longer, digital language exchange" by sharing voice notes, or using video chat. It's a great way to test your English skills out with real people.
1. What is Spotify intended to help people do?| A．Develop a good habit. | B．Listen to music or podcasts. |
| C．Learn a foreign language. | D．Memorize words with flashcards. |
| A．Learners can use their native language as a reference. |
| B．It's convenient for learners to translate voice notes. |
| C．It provides learners a chance to tell their own stories. |
| D．Learners can sing English songs along to the music. |
| A．Quizlet. | B．Spotify. | C．Beelinguapp. | D．Tandem. |
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